Venezuela 's new government started out its term by decreeing the electric sector in emergency on Tuesday, placing it under partial military control to combat alleged sabotage and address the persistent black-outs that sapped President Nicolas Maduro's support in the recent election.

Venezuela 's power plants have suffered for years, the result of an extended drought and of chronic under-investment that pre-dated the sector's nationalization in 2007. But widespread power shortages grew more acute under the administration of the late Hugo Chavez, causing authorities to blame the outages, which at their worst have plunged roughly half the country into darkness, on excessive consumption, plots by enemies of the government and on damage caused by storms, iguanas or possums.

Mr. Maduro blamed alleged saboteurs linked to the opposition. The decree published in the national gazette released Tuesday said that since late 2012 and early 2013 parties that aim to destabilize Venezuela "have put in practice plans of sabotage" of electric utilities. The sabotage "increased even more during the last month" leading to the election, the decree, signed by the president, said.

The move underscores the steep challenges faced by Mr. Maduro, who was hand-picked by Mr. Chavez to continue his socialist revolution but saw a significant lead in the polls erode to less than 2 percentage points in the April 14 election. The result was contested by the opposition, and an audit will take place, although few expect it to change the result. Nevertheless, Mr. Maduro will have to deal with a strengthened opposition, a growing economic crisis, crumbling infrastructure and weakening oil prices.

In a speech late Sunday, Mr. Maduro said that an "iron hand" would be deployed against saboteurs. A government statement said that about 50 people "linked to the right" have been detained for allegedly wreaking havoc with the power system.

Critics, however, accused the government of trying to kill two birds with a stone: deflecting the blame of the electric crisis, and cracking down on electric employees who may have voted for Mr. Maduro's rival, Henrique Capriles. "The inefficiency of the Venezuelan state in matters of electricity now must rest on the shoulders the workers," said Inti Rodriguez, a member of human rights organization PROVEA.

This isn't the first time the government scrambled to solve power outages. During the 2009-2010 drought, the government instituted rationing and in 2011, implemented hefty surcharges to power consumers who didn't save electricity.

Tuesday's decree called for the creation of militarized security zones around electric installations, and three-month state of emergency. The armed forces will actively participate in the control and operations of the electric system.

The decree also authorized state electric company CORPOELEC to "take all the necessary technical and economic measures to ensure continuity of service," including striking deals with private domestic and overseas contractors.

At a press conference Tuesday, newly-appointed electricity minister Jesse Chacon addressed some of the underlying causes of the outages. He said that new investments have been outpaced by a growth in consumption, and that some people waste electricity. Also, he said that some large commercial users, such as shopping malls, had signed up as residential users, enjoying highly subsidized rates that drained the utility's resources.

Mr. Chacon also said that the ministry was working on a new program--dubbed a "mission", in the style of Mr. Chavez's social projects--to overhaul the electric system, which would include more investment and increased efficiency.

Vice-President Jorge Arreaza also exhorted consumers to be more rational in their use of energy. "It's not a big deal to turn off a light, turn off an air conditioner," he said.

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